Director-actor Rishab Shetty’s Kantara: Chapter 1 has stormed past the Rs 500-crore mark at the global box office within its first week of release, the makers announced on Friday.
The folk action drama, a prequel to 2023’s Kantara, has grossed Rs 509.25 crore worldwide.
“The divine cinematic storm continues to soar higher at the box office. #KantaraChapter1 crosses 509.25 CRORES+ GBOC worldwide in the 1st week! #BlockbusterKantara running successfully in cinemas near you,” Hombale Films, the production banner behind the film, wrote on X.
Kantara: Chapter 1 has been performing well domestically too. According to industry data-tracking portal Sacnilk, the film collected Rs 20.50 crore nett across India on its eighth day — its lowest single-day earnings so far — yet continues to maintain double-digit daily figures.
The film’s domestic total now stands at Rs 334.94 crore nett.
Kantara is the third Indian film to cross the Rs 500-crore mark at the global box office. Earlier this year, Saiyaara and Chhaava grossed Rs 570 crore and Rs 800 crore worldwide, respectively.
Kantara: Chapter 1 is the second Kannada-language film after KGF: Chapter 2 to cross this milestone.
Written and directed by Shetty, Kantara: Chapter 1 is a prequel to the 2022 National Award-winning film Kantara. Set in Karnataka, the latest film features Shetty in the lead role. He plays a tribal leader, Berme, who protects his community as well as the other subjects of the kingdom from the tyranny of their rulers. Kantara: Chapter 2 is already in the works.